Tire spreading implement



M. MA'rHlEsEN 2,028,986 TIRE SPREADING vIMPLEMENT jan" 28,

Filed oct, 1, 1934 A nu.

Patented Jan. 28, 1936 TERE SPREADING MPLEMENT Marius Mathiesen, Chicago, Ill., assigner tc John H. Lee, River Forest, Ill.

Application October 1,

8 Claims.

2, a broken edge elevational View; Fig. 3, an enlarged broken sectional View taken as indicated at line 3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4, a detail illustrating a preferred construction of the tire-spreading rollers employed.

In the preferred embodiment, the device ccmprises a hand-lever A; laterally projecting, spaced tire-spreading rollers B carried by the shankportion of the hand-lever; and spring-held pawls C mounted between the rollers and engaging ratchet-teeth with which the rollers are provided.

The ratchet-devices are reversely acting, so that the tire-spreading rollers, which are adapted totravel between the anges of the tire, will alternately serve as fulcrums when the handlever is oscillated. In this manner, the tirespreading rollers may be caused to advance around the tire, spreading the tire at successive portions to enable the interior to be thoroughly inspected.

The hand-lever A is shown as consisting of a rigid steel bar having a handle-portion I and a shank-portion 2 at an angle vto the handleportion. That is, the bar is bent edgewise to provide a relatively sho-rt shank portion and a relatively long `handle-portion. While the size may be as desired, it is convenient to have the shank portion, for an ordinary pleasure-car tire, of a length of about 4"-6", and to have the handle-portion of a length of about 20"-24.

In Fig. 2, the relation of the implement to aI tire D is illustrated, but it will be understood that this view is reversed from the position in which the tire-spreader ordinarily is used. That is, in practice, the shank portion of the implement will be introduced into the lower portion of the tire when the tire is in standing position, and the handle-portion of the implement will then be turned downwardly to something approaching a horizontal plane, after which the implement may be manipulated to open successive portions of the tire, the position of the tire on the floor 1934, Serial No. 746,446

being changed from time to time as the work of inspection progresses.

The tire-spreading rollers B may be considered, broadly, as enlarged studs projecting laterally from the shank of the handle-bar. However, it is important to employ rollers to facilitate the action of 'spreading the tire, and it is important to provide means for locking or latching the rollers, alternately, in such manner that one roller may travel ireeiy while the other one is in locked condition and serving as a fulcrum.

In the illustration given, the rollers are secured to the shank 2, as by means of bolts 3 and a short bar 4, which is spaced laterally from the shank 2, so that the rollers are disposed between said shank and the bar 3. Appropriate means for spacing the bar il is provided. In the illustration given, sleeves Se are employed, the bolts extending through the sleeves, and the rollers B are journaled on the sleeves, or tubes, 3a.

The rollers B, preferably, are formed from sheet metal by suitable stamping operations. They are shown as generally in the form of cups 5 whose bottoms are provided with bearings 5a which are journaled on the sleeves 3a. The cups are secured at their open ends to disks 6 whose peripheral portions project and are provided with ratchet-teeth, as indicated at 6a. The projecting portions may be regarded as flanges which are adapted to ride, or travel, on the extreme edge-portions of the anges 'l of the tire. Washers 8 may be interposed between the disks 6 and the shank 2, as shown in Fig. 3. The preferred manner of securing the cups 5 to the disks 6 is to provide the free edge-portions of the cups with projections 5U which extend through slots or perforations in the disks 6 and are secured by riveting.

'I'he pawls, or dogs, C, are shown supported on a pivot 9, which projects laterally from the shank 2; and a spring, or springs, l0 serve to hold the pawls in engagement with the ratchet-teeeth 6a. Preferably, the projecting peripheral portions of the disks 6 are pressed outwardly towards the shank 2, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. 'Ihe cups 5 have convergent portions 5c. That is, the walls taper somewhat towards the disks 6, thus leaving between the cups and the disks a re-entrant angle, or peripheral recess, Il, engaged by the flanges of the tire as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the ratchetteeth with which the two rollers are equipped are reversed with respect to each other; also, that the pawls are reverse pawls. If, in Fig. l, it be considered that the lines of contact between the 4o rigid hand-lever, Va pair of ratchet-equippedrollers and the tire-flanges 'I are indicated bythe dotted lines 1a, lit will be noted that if the handleportion v[be depressed, the roller Bat thefree` end of the shank 2 will becornelocked againstY rotating counter-clockwise 'and will thus serve as a Thus, the latter roller the rightY rotating thedirection of thearrow Vdownwardly along the correspondingline 1e. By, .Y manipulations of this kind, theimplement may j 20` thereon.' Then the movement of the handle pork tionV l reversed, whereupon the roller at the junctionof the handle-portion vand shank-por- Vtion becomes locked against rotation; clockwisel while the 'other rolleris left freeto rotate Vclockwise as shown by the arrow thereon :and travel be caused to' travel'around the tire, progressively opening portions of the tire and permitting inspection of, the interior. This rendersit com {paratively easy to inspect the interior for fabric- ".r'upt'ures,tacks,'nails, or the like.'V 1 Y tion'fhas been i The foregoing detailed descrip l given for clearness of understanding only, andV nov unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but theY appended claims should be Ybeing reversed, and pawls mounted.VV on said lever Y `coacting with the ratchets, whereby thel rollers Y rigid hand-lever having arelativelyshort shank' construed as broadly as permissible in view of the prior art. 'Y

-What Vclaim as new and desire to secure Vby Letters Patent' is: f v

Y 1. rA` tire-spreading 'implement comprisingV a rigid hand-levena pair oi laterally 'projecting rollers journaled on said hand-leverjand means vfor alternately holding said rollers automatically toenable first one and then the Vother to serve as afulcrum in the operation of progressively opening portions of the tire.

2. A tire-spreading implement comprising a rollers mounted thereon, the teeth of `the ratchets may Vserve alternatelyfas ulcrurns in the `operation of progressively opening portions of the tire.A

' 3. 'Aj tire-spreadingV implement 'comprising a Vand a relatively long handlefportion at an angleV 1 thereto, laterally projecting tire-spreading rollers carried by said shank, and reversely arranged ratchetdevices adapted to latch'oneroller while Y the other is leftiree to-travel, and vice versa. L4. A tire-spreading implement comprisingfa rigid hand-lever,V studs projecting laterally from one end portion of saidY hand-lever, rollers'jour- 4naledV on said studsV and equipped adjacent 'one side of said hand-'lever with ratchet-wheels, and

pawl's'mounted on said hand-lever between said I' ratchet-wheels and engaging the teethmthereof,r

the teeth of the ratchet-wheels being reversely arranged. Y

5. A tire-spreading .Y implement fcoinprisirigVV a rigid hand-lever having a relatively short shank-V I portion anda relatively long Vhandle-portion, said hand-lever comprising a bar, bent yedgewise Vto form` the two portions 'mentioned ratchetf Vequipped rollers Vmountedon said shank-portion andprojecting Ulaterally therefrom,V an'dpawls V coactingV with said-ratchet-equipped rollers and adapted to alternatelylatch themfto enable first one and then the other toserver as a fulcifrum f y i 6.1An implement as; specified in claim 5,in which thev Vratchet-equipped rollers` consistgofV journaled Vcups and Atoothed disks applied tothe ends of said cups which are adjacent saidshake portion.

y Y 7. A tirefspreadingV implement comprising a f rigid angularhand-lever, a pairY of tire-spreading rollers journaled onone end-portion: of saidV f hand-lever and equipped 'adjacent'the'handY-lever f with'reversely toothed'ratchet-wheels, the rollers i and ratchet-wheels beingshaped to provide between them peripheral `recesses adapted toen?Y gage beads Yof Vtire-hanged; and pawlsi mounted i l on said hand-lever coactingwith'said ratchetu wheels.. k

f8. A 'tirespreading,fimplement.;Ycomprising; a

rigid handiiever equipped with reverselyacting Y. Y

'-p`awls,`r studs projectinglaterally from said hande lever, a relatively Yshort bar connecting the-free hand-lever, 4said rollersbeing equipped with'reversely-toothed ratchets engagedby saidpaw'ls.V

MARIUs l MnTHrEsENJ- j ends of said' studs, and tire-spreading rollers journaled on said `studs. betweensaid'barand 

